Former Va. Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Koontz, a pillar of the state judiciary, dies at 85

Yahoo

18-03-2025

Lawrence Koontz, a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, passed away on Sunday. He was 85 years old. (Photo courtesy of the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers' Alliance)
Ret. Virginia Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Koontz, a longtime jurist who served on every level of Virginia's court system and helped shape the state's judiciary, died Sunday in Salem, according to a news release from the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers' Alliance. He was 85.
A native of the Roanoke Valley, Koontz received his law degree from the University of Richmond and spent more than five decades on the bench, including 16 years as an active Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and another 13 years as a Senior Justice, making him one of the longest-serving jurists in the commonwealth's history.
Koontz was known for his role in the founding of the Virginia Court of Appeals, where he served as the second chief judge and established many of its administrative policies.
Among his most notable opinions was his majority ruling in Arlington County v. White in 2000, which applied Virginia's strict 'Dillon Rule' doctrine to prevent local governments from offering health benefits to unmarried domestic partners, including same-sex couples.
Later that year, Koontz also authored a dissent in Atkins v. Commonwealth, arguing that individuals with intellectual disabilities should be given special consideration in criminal sentencing. His position was later echoed in the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling overturning the death sentence in the case.
In a 2008 dissent in Porter v. Commonwealth, Koontz warned that Virginia's death penalty laws would not withstand constitutional scrutiny if courts failed to rigorously ensure fair trials. Later in his career, he presided over the Supreme Court as acting chief justice due to the illness of Chief Justice LeRoy R. Hassell, Sr. His final opinion as a Senior Justice was issued in Chesapeake Hospital Authority v. State Health Commissioner in 2022.
Koontz's judicial career began in 1968 when he was appointed to the Juvenile Court of the City of Roanoke. He was later elected to the 23rd Circuit Court of Virginia and then to the Virginia Court of Appeals upon its creation in 1985. In 1995, the General Assembly elected him to the Supreme Court of Virginia, where he served until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 2011.
Koontz's collected opinions were published in a seven-volume set titled 'Jurist Prudent — The Judicial Opinions of Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr.,' with the final volume released in 2017.
He is survived by his wife, children, and many grandchildren. Memorial service arrangements are pending.
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